Post by Dennis of Ravenscar on Jun 25, 2014 13:52:40 GMT
ROBIN I v. ROBIN II
By Lucy of Ravenscar
Since I’ve been in RoS fandom I’ve come up against a lot of anti-third season sentiment, either in speaking to people or in reading their views. Mostly people don’t hate it, but they say they prefer the first two seasons, or they don’t think it was as good as the first two, or they prefer Michael Praed to Jason Connery. Other people feel they have to defend it, and say that, on the whole, it’s just as good as the first and second series. Now, I’m sure that there are people out there who actively prefer the third season, but I’m not writing this to put forward that particular viewpoint. My view is this: that the whole series of Robin of Sherwood would not have been as good as it was if it hadn’t been for the changes that occurred in the third series.
That’s not to say that there was anything wrong with the first two series, far from it, and I think Michael Praed was brilliant. Making Robin Hood a peasant is quite unusual. In most of the dramatisations of the legend I’ve seen he’s usually a bit higher up the social scale. Robin I, with his slightly moody, brooding character, his mystical side and easy acceptance of Herne’s magic stands out amongst more flamboyant Robins. [By the way, I tend to refer to the two Robins as Robin I and Robin II, rather than using the more common Robin and Robert, or Loxley and Huntingdon, as this is just not accurate. Robert of Huntingdon changed his name and gave up his inheritance when he became an outlaw, and I think this just encourages people to feel that the second Robin was not the real Robin Hood.] However, much as many people would have liked to have seen Michael continue as Robin for one or two more series, I’m not sure this would have been entirely believable. Even if it was by necessity rather than choice, I think Richard Carpenter really bridged the credibility gap by having Robin killed by the Sheriff. The Greatest Enemy is an astounding, heart-stopping episode, scary and realistic. I can’t remember if it was common knowledge at the time it was originally shown that Michael Praed was leaving the series, but even when you know, it’s still a bit of a stunner.
The point is, though, that when Robin I was killed we didn’t just get a replacement with different coloured hair. First of all, we had all the outlaws profoundly affected by Robin’s death. Then we had a Robin with a completely different background, a completely different reason for becoming Herne’s Son and a different way of doing things. During the third series we saw a change in character or role for some of the outlaws, and a number of the episodes wouldn’t have worked as well, or at all, with Robin I.
After the events of The Greatest Enemy all the outlaws are disheartened and disillusioned. Marion’s heart is broken and her spirit has been crushed by the effort of trying to live up to her father’s and society’s expectations. All the others are lost, with no direction since Robin’s death. It takes a great deal of effort on Robin II’s part to get them to help in Marion’s rescue. It takes him much longer to gain their trust than it did Robin I in the first series, despite the fact that he has already saved the lives of Will, Tuck, John and Nasir. Robin II is a nobleman’s son, with all the associated baggage that comes with the position. Despite his youth he has the natural confidence of one who has been obeyed since childhood, and all the skills of swordsmanship and leadership appropriate to his rank. Along with his blond hair he brings a lightness to the role of Robin Hood, a character who has not suffered day after day as a peasant but who still has a natural kindness and empathy and who was prepared to give up all his privileges to do what he saw as the right thing.
Once all the outlaws are together again, with someone to lead them, they eventually settle back into their original roles, but there are some changes that add to the interest of this series.
Nasir’s relationship with both Robins is quite similar. They both save him from effective slavery and he seems to wish to serve each of them. He does change gradually throughout the three series, but I suspect this has more to do with him learning English and getting used to this country. The severing of his ties with the assassins in The Greatest Enemy and his confrontation with Sarak in The Sheriff of Nottingham probably advance his character more than the change in leader.
Tuck doesn’t change a great deal. He still has his integrity, and despite his fight in the river with Robin II, he is the most keen to help save Marion. He is the outlaws’ rock, solid in his faith.
John really has the heart torn out of him by Robin’s death and he finds it hard to follow another. In the end, however, he is good man with a need to help others and he is still an outlaw so he has little to lose in following Robin II.
Scarlet never liked taking orders from Robin I, and of all the outlaws he had the least faith in Herne’s mysticism, which formed the basis for Robin’s leadership. Oddly enough, despite all his protests, I think he feels more comfortable taking orders from Robin II, his ‘superior’, more so than from Robin I, his equal. He is a soldier after all, and Robin II did prove that he could match him in a fight.
Much was badly hurt by Robin’s death, partly because he was his brother, but particularly by Robin’s ‘lie’, when he promises that they’ll be together later. Much really trusted him, so he grows up rather after this and is much less trusting. He breaks free from being Robin’s little brother, the simple one. With Robin II he is much more confident of his abilities. You can see this quite easily if you compare his behaviour in The Prophecy and The Betrayal. In The Prophecy the others tell him to warn Robin about Mark and he runs off without the horse. In The Betrayal he organises the villagers before he rides off to warn Robin that Marion has been sent back to the castle. Even when he is captured in Adam Bell he puts up a fair showing against the soldiers.
Of course, the largest change is probably with Marion. She loses her husband at the end of series two, and although she does like and trust Robin II, her first loyalty is to her father at the start of series three. It takes three episodes before she joins the outlaws again which gives an interesting edge to the stories. The ongoing and very slow developing romance between her and Robin II is one of the things that gives a different feel to the third series. It is very realistic - can you imagine how awful it would have been if she had become his wife within a couple of episodes? In the first series she fell in love with Robin I very quickly, then she had to develop her relationship with the other outlaws and have them accept her as ‘one of the boys’. In series three she knows the ropes, it’s Robin II who has to fit in, and try and win her love, which must make it significantly different from any other version of Robin Hood.
The third series also benefited from a new Robin in some of the storylines. The frustration and disbelief of The Sheriff and Gisburne in still having to deal with Robin Hood, when they know he’s dead, is very enjoyable, as is the deception by Robin II in The Power of Albion when he goes to them and asks for help to kill Robin Hood. It’s rather fun seeing him play a sort of upper class twit, which is something Robin I could never have done. Again, in The Inheritance his family background comes into play as an old friend of his father’s asks for his help and he has to choose between King Arthur and Herne, loyalty to his family or the outlaws.
A major storyline which was unique to Robin II was the revelation that Gisburne was his half-brother. This is a fascinating idea, leading to much interesting fan fiction, I’m sure, and introduces a real tension into the usually straightforward good guy/bad guy relationship. (No pun intended!). Then we had Rutterkin, which involved his father and his uncle, and The Time of the Wolf. I know some people are not so fond of this story, but I find the tragic ending very moving, and it only works because we know Marion has already lost one husband, which, with the apparent loss of Robin II, makes it impossible for her to stay with him.
So, in my opinion, the third series is not just as good as the first two series, it’s just as interesting, as original and as important in telling the story of Robin of Sherwood, his companions and his adversaries. Those of you who don’t watch the third series much, or at all, because you didn’t like the new Robin as much as the old one when he first appeared, please give it a go. I hope you’ll see that it’s a good series in its own right and adds significantly to the legend.
Originally published in Nothing's Forgotten issue 3, April 1996.